It’s a Darn Shame!

By Steve Roling on April 21, 2008Inaugural President and CEOHealth Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

According to the US Census Bureau there are over 770,000 uninsured Missourians. At the beginning of the current legislative session, Governor Blunt and the leadership of the House and Senate all agreed a primary objective was reducing the number of uninsured. With about four weeks left, it appears that partisan politics has gotten in the way of achieving this goal. Politicians from both parties are too busy positioning themselves and their party for the next election rather than seriously debating on what can be done to reduce the number of uninsured. It’s a darn shame!

In Kansas, the Kansas Health Policy Authority this year made strong recommendations to the Legislature on how to improve the health care system. It appears that most of their recommendations will fall by the way side, again, because of partisan politics. Like their neighboring state, Kansas lacks the legislative will power to debate and comprise and instead are trying to position themselves for the next election. I find it hard to believe that men and women of good will cannot find even temporary solutions to reduce the number of uninsured in Kansas. It’s a darn shame!

Our health care system is broken. Our political leaders in Washington, DC, Jefferson City and Topeka don’t dispute this fact – However, they are too busy campaigning for the next election rather than trying to find workable solutions today. It’s a darn shame!